Albyn School pupil Iona has braved the chop to support children suffering from hair loss.

The kind-hearted nine-year-old has recently donated 33cm of hair to The Little Princess Trust charity which creates real hair wigs for children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or another condition. 

This is the second time Iona, who had her hair cut at a hair salon in Bieldside, has donated her hair in less than two years. In November 2021, she donated 35cm of hair and raised more than £1,400. 

“I just turned seven when I first donated my hair,” said the P5 Albyn School pupil who is already re-growing her hair so she can donate it again in the future.

“My mum said that my hair was too long and that I needed to cut it. So I said, ‘Why don’t we donate it? I have a lot of it!’. I did not want it to go to waste.

“The hairdresser put my hair in little bunches that were all level and then cut it.

“They then sent the hair to someone who makes wigs.”

Headmaster Stefan Horsman said: “Our whole Albyn School community is proud of our pupil Iona whose thoughtful act demonstrates the empathy and social responsibility we strive to instil in our pupils. Her gesture reminds us all of the positive impact one individual can have on the world, regardless of their age.”

The Little Princess Trust has provided more than 15,000 wigs to children and young people with hair loss since it was established in 2006. The charity has also invested £23 million in childhood cancer research. So far, The Little Princess Trust has funded 128 research projects searching for kinder and more effective treatments for all childhood cancers.